Posted by Ken on August 13, 2006 at 11:46:29:
In Reply to: loosing water flow posted byJim Kay Cupples on August 12, 2006 at 18:41:38:
Jim, I have an Ultima II 10,000 and have experienced the same thing. I found two areas to watch out for.
1. The bottom drain pipe can get clogged with organic debris, especially in a pond with lots of dragonfly activity. I snake mine out once a year.
2. Despite what the manufacturer says, the Ultima II filters can become caked and restrict the flow of water. I used to open mine and dislodge the cake by hand twice a year. Be careful not to let the bio filter material enter the main lateral.
I found a solution by installing a pre-filter pressurized vortex (TurboVortex) in front of my punp and Ultima II. It has prevented the caking and I have not had a significant loss of water flow. It still has to be cleaned out twice a year, but is much easier and there is no caking in either of the filters now. I think it has also let the Ultima II work better at cleaning the water.